I feel bad about asking such a basic question, but I've been working on this for two hours and am about to essplode. I just want a straight line. I have looked through the help section (or rather the "help" section), asked everyone in my office, and googled the crap out of it. I am officially retarded. There must be something obvious I am missing, but all I have right now is a path made with the pen tool that disappears every time I click something else. I tried to *ahem* stroke the path, but the program does not want me to do that. I'd use the line tool, but it is an arrow, and nobody can figure out how to get it to not be. All I need is a line on the figure and it is done. Please help me get one step closer to graduating. Thank you.

Christophine is using ver. CS2 of Photoshop on a Windows PC. She can get a straight line using the pencil tool while holding down the shift key. The line doesn't disappear. It works the same way on the Mac she uses at school.
posted 9 years ago
by path

PS - she says that assumess that you want the line to be horizontal, vertical, or at one of the ismetric angles. If you need a different angle, she can walk you though how to do that.
posted 9 years ago
by path

The line tool has an option where you can show the Arrow or not show it. Depending on which version of PS you have, it could be either up at the top, or in one of the "manila folder" -like menus for the tool.
And holding shift constrains it to horizontal or vertical. Shift is also useful for the rectangle and circular selection tools, and holding shift constrains it to a circle or a square.
If you want a straight line that's not horizontal or vertical, you can make a horizontal/vertical line and use the transform menu (I used to use Transform Numeric, but I don't know where it is on the Transform menu) to rotate it. Or you can rotate it by hand.
posted 9 years ago
by chimaera

Flashboy for the win on the arrowhead thing.
posted 9 years ago
by chimaera

Thanks guys. I used the line without arrows, and it turned out pretty well. The screenpic was especially helpful, thanks flashboy.
Now does anyone know how to make it a dashed line? If that's not a reasonable request, it is probably fine like it is.
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

/off topic--sort of
I will claim to be uber-tarded, too. How do we post images here?
posted 9 years ago
by Darshon

Make me out a check for $500. Image will magically appear if you pray hard enough.
posted 9 years ago
by middleclasstool

Images can be posted using:
<img src="http://www.foo.com/bar.jpg">
But I'm sure tracicle would like me to remind everyone that inline images are generally frowned upon, and should be only used in situations of extreme importance - such as photoshop queries, urgent kitten therapy, or being Chy.
posted 9 years ago
by flashboy

I don't know the "proper" way to make a dashed line, but the way I do it is make a short one, then lots of copy/paste, using Shift again to constrain moving it in a straight line.
posted 9 years ago
by chimaera

I will use this opportunity to gripe about how complicated Photoshop has gotten -- when it's difficult for relatively intelligent people like me and you to draw freakin' lines, there's a problem with the design!
This is because programmers program for programmers. Stop it! Program for users, dammit.
posted 9 years ago
by scartol

Urgent Kitten Therapy is going to the name of my new band.
posted 9 years ago
by kittenhead

Thanks chyren, I had seen that one earlier, but it didn't happen to have what I needed. Though it seems like a good thing to keep a link to in case I am ever again in the unenviable position of having to use Photoshop.
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

>I will use this opportunity to gripe about how complicated Photoshop has gotten -- when it's difficult for relatively intelligent people like me and you to draw freakin' lines, there's a problem with the design!
The Adobe fanboy in me bristles at this griping about Photoshop. There's a toolbox full of little icons, pencils and brushes and magnifying glasses and things, pretty much like any bitmap editing software in the world. There are twenty-odd tools in the toolbox, and one of them is the line tool. The icon for it is a line, and if you move the cursor over it, a text box appears and says 'line tool'. Whaddaya want? Why must you speak ill of the software to which my heart is promised? (removes glove; prepares to smack)
posted 9 years ago
by Stan the Bat

I have to say, I do agree somewhat with the Bat, as there's also an extensive help feature in photoshop which makes finding out what things do rather easy.. but then not all of us are good at the same things, and what appears self evident to some is not to others, so..
posted 9 years ago
by Chyren

...though I'm embarassed to report that if you type 'line', 'draw line', or 'straight line' into the Help Center dialog, it returns an ASTONISHING number of help topics that aren't about the line tool. Lines of type, measuring lines and the protractor, how to change the color of slice lines, aligning Asian type characters...
You could always get a ruler, draw a straight line, and scan it.
posted 9 years ago
by Stan the Bat

Stan, I seriously thought about pasting in a line from another figure but decided it would actually be easier to ask y'all for help. I think my problem was the help files - when you look at the draw a straight line, it tells you how to do it as a path, and paths turn out to be far beyond me. With a half-hour tutoring session, I could probably get a good base of info to work with, but starting from scratch on my own, Photoshop seemed insanely illogical.
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

Man, I didn't know the meaning of the word "obtuse" until I tried to elicit aid from GIMP's "help" site. jesus.
posted 9 years ago
by Nickdanger

Photoshop is not a piece of software that you can use without spending a good bit of time learning it. It is a professional level product. You do have to spend many hours in tutorials to take advantage of its features to the fullest extent. There are lots of other applications that are simpler and have more intuitive UI. I actually use paint shop pro for quick and dirty stuff and photoshop for more intensive work.
posted 9 years ago
by Chyren

Chyren - yeah, that whole 'right tool for the job' thing is something I probably should have paid more attention. I just figured that I only had one small change to make, I knew photoshop could do high res pics, and how hard could it possibly be to draw a few lines?
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

Actually, Photoshop does look like it would be pretty fun if I had a good weekend to spend playing around with it. Maybe that's what I'll ask for for my birthday.
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

I prefer Paint Shop Pro most of the time. It does photo touch-ups alot better (ironically), and I find colorizing with it much simpler. But photoshop has a much better filter interface, and better filters in general.
posted 9 years ago
by Mr. Knickerbocker

Post us a picture of your line, so that we may all admire its elegant straightness.
posted 9 years ago
by Plegmund

Well, since it's a pre-publication figure, I'll have to just post a model of the line:
_____________________________________
posted 9 years ago
by yentruoc

That doesn't look straight on my Linux-enabled Fishbowl-o-matic Bendymax monitor here yentruoc. But it is powerfully evocative of the skyline on the Mongolian grasslands. I think you've made a powerful statement for the nomad heart in a world of lines and fences.
posted 9 years ago
by Abiezer_Coppe

Hey guys, I have to drive to Seattle this weekend and I've strapped a chair and seatbelt to my refrigerator. Without welding a motor and large rubber wheels to it, how would I do this?
Any ideas?
Anyone?
posted 9 years ago
by monkeyhumper

Because I didn't see it mentioned yet... to draw a straight line at ANY angle with the pencil tool:
1. Click where you want the line to start.
2. Move to where you want the line to end.
3. Hold down shift.
4. Click again.
5. Voila.
posted 9 years ago
by staticred

Illustrator is better (though still "professional level") for drawing lines. All the line-drawing tools in Photoshop were imported from earlier versions of Illustrator. And even though I know how to use both programs (honest! I aced classes and everything!), I always have problems in newer versions of Photoshop with getting my lines to stay put, just like yentruoc described... it doesn't seem to quite work the same way that similar functions work in Illustrator.
Of course, since Illustrator is vector rather than bitmap, it's usually better to not so much use it with the photos. Hence "Photo"shop and "Illustrat"or.
posted 9 years ago
by verbminx

ps to Abiezer_Coppe - hey, you're the one who stole my old Bendymax!
posted 9 years ago
by verbminx